Japanese - Onomatopoeia

Caligali's Faves:

• にこにこ - niko niko

nikoniko [to] warau
- smiling, to smile. all smiles, smiling happily

• moto moto

- originally, by nature, from the start

• iro iro

- this and that, variety, variously.

• giri giri

- just barely, just in time, by the skin of one's teeth
girigiri safe
- just in time
---safe comes from baseball
girigiri mieru
- can just barely see it
girigiri de negatta???
- we barely escaped

• ぺらぺら - Pera pera

- Talk fluently, fluent in a language
彼は日本語がぺらぺらです。 - Kare wa nihongo ga pera pera desu.
- He speaks Japanese fluently.

- Talkativeness in a negative sense or to chatter.
博は秘密をぺらぺら話しました。 - Hiroshi wa himitsu o pera pera hanashite shimaimashita.
- Hiroshi was so talkative that he told the secret.

- Thin, flimsy
このシャツはぺらぺらだ。 - Kono shatsu wa pera pera da.
- This shirt is flimsy.

• bero bero

berobero ni narimasu
- hammered, smashed, very drunk

• bura bura

- staggering around

• uro uro

- stumble

• chiba chiba

- doing something little by little, make last as long as possible

• naka naka

nakanaka ii
- quite good ???

• nuku nuku

- warmth and comfort, smugly, cozily

• iku iku

- I'm in

• uzu uzu

- itching to do something

• Iki iki

- full of life, vivid, vividly

• pichi pichi

- the state of being young, fresh, vigorous

• uki uki

- happy, in a boyant mood

• iso iso

- move in full joy or expectation, cheerful, excited

• ぴんぴん - pin pin

ぴんぴんしている - pinpin shite iru
- being lively

• yasu yasu

- done effortlessly, with ease

• Gari gari

- skin and bones
- Man, you're really thin.

• sui sui

- moving gracefully

• mori mori

- full of zest, full of gusto, rises powerfully

• ザーザー - zāzā

- sound of heavy rain.
Amae ga zaza futteimasu
- sound of pouring rain

• potsu potsu

- the state of small drops falling sporadically

• pocha pocha

- splash in water

• poro poro (goro goro/boro boro)

- the sound of small objects (pebbles, raindrops) rolling down.

• ten ten

- like dots

• しんしん - shin shin

- falling snow
---more used in literature than conversationally
----added by Etsuko. Thank you!

• dorodoro

Michi wa dorodoro
- mud. half water, half solid. a muddy substance

• bisho bisho

- sopping wet

• hyuu hyuu

- rushing wind

• atsu atsu

- looks piping hot
- head over heels in love

• uro uro

- wondering about aimlessly, lost sught of goal, loafing around, hanging around

• gami gami

- nagging, griping

• イライラ - ira ira

- angry, frustrated, a state of being irritated, the state of being frustrated
長く待たされたのでイライラしました

• kan kan

- very angry

• pun pun

- very angry
- angry, like saying "boo, hiss",
- also a strong smell ???

• kibi kibi

- descibes attitude, behavior or speech that's prompt, business like, alert

• kura kura

- dizzy spell, feeling giddy

• kechi kechi

- tight fisted, stingy

• shige shige

- scrutinizing, ogle

• jito jito

- sweaty

• beta beta

- sweaty

• neba neba

- sticky

• zuka zuka

- make a bold entrance, rudely enter

• zuta zuta

- deeply broken heart

• sure sure

- being extremely close, on the verge of

• nega nega

- something prolonged, like a speech

• hiso hiso

- whispering

• butsu butsu

- mumbling, whispering

• bura bura

- drifting through life, strolling

• poka poka

- warmth through ones's body
- the state of being nice and warm

• mei mei

- to see through another person's scheme

• mun mun

- crowded atmosphere

• gaya gaya

- crowded

• moji moji

- behaving nervously or bashfully, unable to do what they want, hesitantly

• よぼよぼ - yobo yobo

- weak from old age
よぼよぼになる - yoboyobo ni naru
- become wobbly-legged (from age)

• yoro yoro

- wobbling, unsteady on its feet

• ドキドキ - doki doki

- pounding heart, pit-a-pat
- the sound of a heart beating fast from excitement (at one time Megumi Hayashibara had a radio program called ``Doki Doki Station'')
Nande konnani doki doki shichau n darou.
- Why am I so nervous?

• hara hara

- heart going pit a-pat, nervousness (see doki doki). The sound made when one is swaying, about to faint.

• hiya hiya

- scared half to death

• kowa kowa

- From kowai, scared. An expression of being scared.

• mon mon

- worried for a long time, in anguish

• gaku gaku

- knees shaking in fear

• kuyo kuyo

- worry about, mope, brood

• kyoro kyoro

- looking around restlessly

• mago mago

- confused

• kari kari

- the sound of someone scratching their head in puzzlement

• ota ota

- too suprised or shocked to respond properly

• ワンワン - wan wan

- dogs bark, the sound a dog makes
- the sound of crying loudly

• ケンケン - ken ken

- bow-wow. the sound of a dog barking

• nyaa nyaa ???

• nyao nyao

- cat's meow
- the sound a cat makes

• gero gero

- ribbit. the sound a frog makes (in Card Captor Sakura a pun on gero gero is applied to Kero-chan's name)

• ケロ - kero

- ribbit; chirping of a frog

• piyo piyo

- chirping of small birds

• pii pii pii

- whining, puling???
- also used to describe bird-song

• コケコッコー - kokekokkou

- cock-a-doodle-doo (rooster sound)

• mou mou

- the sound a cow makes

• ひひ - hi hi

- the sound of an animal

• くすくす - kusu kusu

-to giggle, giggling

• げらげら - gera gera

-to laugh loudly, loud laughter, to guffaw

• kera kera

• keta keta

- laughter

• にやにや - niya niya

- grinning, to grin

• にたにた - nita nita

-to smirk, smirking

• あはは、ははは - ahaha, hahaha

-the sound of loud laughter

• ペチャクチャ - Pecha-kucha

- chattering, a chatter of giggling girls.
ペチャクチャしゃべりました

• ro ro

- singing in a loud clear voice

• こっくり　こっくり - kokkuri kokkuri

- nod off

• ぐうぐう - guu guu

- fast asleep and snoring
- the sound of snoring;
- also the sound of stomach rumbles

• ぐっすり - gussuri

- sleep soundly

• まんじり - manjiri

- not sleep a wink

• すやすや - suya suya

- sleep peacefully
- sleeping soundly

• とろとろ - toro toro

- doze off

• うとうと - uto uto

- doze off. dozing, napping

• kuta kuta

- worn out, exhausted, tired

• heto heto

- exhausted, pooped out

• ぜえぜえ- zēzē

- sound of breathing which is given when a person is exhausted

• ペコペコ - peko peko

- be awfully hungry, very hungry
朝ご飯を食べなかったので、おなかがペコペコだ｡ - Asagohan o tabenakatta node, onaka ga peko peko da.
- Since I didn't have breakfast, I am starving.
- hungry
- bowing servilely ???

• ぐうぐう - guu guu

- stomach rumbles
会議中におなかがぐうぐうなって、恥ずかしかった｡ - Kaigichuu ni onaka ga guu guu natte, hazukashikatta.
- I was embarrassed that my stomach rumbled during the meeting.

• goro goro

• boro boro

• poro poro

Lit: a rolling sound
- upset, churning
- turning, rolling
- to laze about
- the sound of an upset stomach,
- the loud rumble of lightning or an avalanche

• ぐずぐず - guzu guzu

- lazily, slowly
ぐずぐずする
- to procrastinate or dawdle

• からから - kara kara

- very dry
のどがからからだったので、ビールがとてもおいしく感じられた｡ - Nodo ga kara kara datta node, biiru ga totemo oishiku kanjirareta.
- Since my throat was very dry, beer tasted very good.

• pero pero

- licking (e.g., lollipops). Perhaps the origin of the name of the Miyazawa dog in Kare Kano?

• がつがつ - gatsu gatsu

- hungrily, voraciously
おなかがとてもすいていたので、がつがつ食べた｡ - Onaka ga totemo suiteita node, gatsu gatsu tabeta.
- I was so hungry, and I ate voraciously.
- eating greedily, hunger after something, crave

• パクパク - paku paku

- eat in big mouthfuls, take quick bites, take big bites
彼女はおにぎりをおいしそうにパクパク食べた｡ - Kanojo wa onigiri o oishisouni paku paku tabeta.
- She took quick, pleasurable bites of rice balls.

• ぺろり - perori

- eat up
彼は大盛りのうどんをぺろりと平らげてしまった｡ - Kare wa oomori no udon o perori to tairagete shimatta.
- He has eaten up a large serving of noodles.

• mogu mogu

- the sound of eating (perhaps the source of the name of the character Mogglemoggle in Dokkoidar, or at least the source of one of the ways his superior mis-remembers his name).

• gabu gabu

- guzzling, gulping down

• あっさり - assari

- light, delicate
日本料理は中華料理よりあっさりしている｡ - Nihon-ryouri wa chuuka-ryouri yori assari shiteiru.
- Japanese foods are lighter than Chinese foods.

• さっぱり - sappari

- refreshing
そうめんはさっぱりしていて、夏にはもってこいの食べ物だ｡ - Soumen wa sappari shite ite, natsu niwa mottekoi no tabemono da.
- Soumen is an ideal food for summer, because of its refreshing taste.

• こってり - kotteri

- rich, heavy food
このシチューはこってりしている｡ - Kono shichuu wa kotteri shiteiru.
- This stew is very rich.

• からっと - karatto

- crisp
からっと揚げたてんぷらはとてもおいしい｡ - Karatto agatta tenpura wa totemo oishii.
- The crispy tempura is very tasty.

• ピリッと - piritto

- spicy, hot
からしをつけすぎたので、舌にピリッときた｡ - Karashi o tuskesugita node, shita ni piritto kita.
- I put on too much mustard, and it burned my tongue.

• たっぷり - tappuri

- full, plenty
朝ご飯をたっぷり食べた｡ - Asagohan o tappuri tabeta.
- I had a big breakfast.

• むかむか - muka muka

- feel nauseous
飲みすぎで胸がむかむかした｡ - Nomisugi de mune ga muka muka shita.
- I drank too much and felt nauseous.

• うんざり - unzari

- fed up, sick and tired
毎日同じ料理でうんざりだ｡ - Mainichi onaji ryouri de unzari da.
- I am sick of the same dish every day.

• muka muka

- feeling sick

• がんがん - gan gan

- pounding headache
Atama ga gangan itamu
Atama ga gangan suru
- My head hurts terribly. I have a terrible headache.
Doa o gangan tataku
- Knock on the door hard

• ずきずき - zuki zuki

- throbbing pain
- a painful condition

• しくしく - shiku shiku

- dull pain
- the sound one makes when crying

• きりきり - kiri kiri

- sharp continuous pain

• ひりひり - hiri hiri

- burning pain, stinging pain, burning mouth

• ちくちく - chiku chiku

- prickly pain

• meso meso

- sobbing, sniffling

• gohhon

- the sound of someone sneezing

• gyaa gyaa

- the sound of a tantrum

• jime jime

- clamminess

• さらさら - sara sara

- rustle, murmur
小川がさらさら流れています｡ - Ogawa ga sara sara nagarete imasu.
- The brook is murmuring.
Kami ga sarasara da
- The hair is silky.
Sarasara na kami
- Silky hair

• きらきら - kira kira

- twinkle, glitter, sparkle
ダイヤモンドがきらきら光っています｡ - Daiyamondo ga kira kira hikatte imasu.
- The diamond is glittering.

• ゆらゆら - yura yura

- waver, shake quietly
ろうそくの火がゆらゆらしています｡ - Rousoku no hi ga yura yura shite imasu.
- The candle light is wavering.

• ピカピカ - pika pika

- shine brightly, glitter a polished object, glitter, twinkle (spic and span)
新しい硬貨がぴかぴか光っています｡ - Atarashii kouka ga pika pika hikatte imasu.
- The new coins are glittering.

• ぎらぎら - giragira

- dazzling
ぎらぎら(と)光る - giragira (to) hikaru
- shine dazzlingly

• chika chika

- flickering light (see pika pika) eyes tired from too much computer or TV

• bera bera

- chatting, rattling

• クドクド - kudo-kudo

- a lengthy explanation.
クドクドと説明しました

• bari bari

- the sound of tearing (e.g., paper), also used to describe being very busy.

• ton ton (pon pon)

- the sound of someone knocking on the door

• pon pon

- the sound of drumming. The Takahata film ``Pon Poko'' is named after the sound of tanuki drumming on their round stomaches.

• pan pan

- pounding (see pon pon); also, a full stomach

• fusa fusa

- a full and attractive head of hair

• basa basa

- unkempt hair

• teka teka

- greasy hair

• gito gito

- being oily

• bashi bashi

- the sound of smacking someone on the head

• bichi bichi

- flopping, smacking

• boro boro

- the sound of a large object (like a barrel) rolling; also ragtag, or worn out

• dosun

- the sound of something falling with a thud

• dosun dosun

- the sound of stomping

• mishi mishi

- the sound of creaking

• gari gari

- the sound of grinding or scraping

• kacha kacha

• kata kata

- the sound of small things clattering

• pachi pachi

- clapping hands
- indicates sound of hitting or slapping something lightly
pachit (to)
- the sound of slapping someone lightly.
pachiri
- click! a sound of taking a photograph

• チン - chin

- from the ding a microwave makes on finishing cooking.

• boki boki

- cracking a twig or one's knuckles

• mera mera

- the sound/state of a fire blazing up

• bo bo

- the sound of a fire burning

• boko boko

- the sound of hitting something (someone) hard.

• busu busu

- the sound of stabbing

• bishi

- the sound of coming to attention, coming together, or getting into the proper order

• raku raku

- easily

• tama tama

- unexpectedly

• chaku chaku

- steadily

• fuwa fuwa

- fluffy

• tsuru tsuru

- slippery, smoth

• tsuya tsuya

- glossy

• choko choko

- always moving around, toddling

• meki meki

- growing rapidly, conspicuously

• iyo iyo

- more and more (at last)

• don don

- building up of events, progression of events, little by little

• masu masu

- more or less, increasing

• ban ban

- plenty

• meki meki

- the state of making rapid progress

• gocha gocha

- the state of disorder common to apartments nagging

• nera nera

- disorganized, lacks unity

• バラバラ - bara-bara

- scattered, a scattered state,
バラバラにこわれました

• しいんと - shiin

しいんとする - shiin to suru
- be quiet

• チョン - chon

- a soft contact, just a touch

• boin boin

- a well-endowed woman

• deko bako

- bumpy

• gara gara

- almost empty

• gasa gasa

- dry, rough skin the sound of leaves or papers rustling

• gata gata

- trembling with cold (humans) vibrations

• goshi goshi

- the sound of washing clothes vigorously by hand

• gucha gucha

- soft and wet, an awful mess

• guru guru

- going around and around in circles

• hou bou

- here and there (everywhere)

• jiku jiku

- oozing

• mori mori

- doing something willlingly

• mecha mecha

- messed up, illogical, unreasonable

• muka muka

- a sound someone makes when they are disgusted

• saga saga

- the state of being sarcastic

• piku piku

- twitching

• wai wai

- noisy exhuberance

• じろじろ - jiro jiro

- to stare
じろじろと)[見る
- to look intently

• riin

- the sound/state of someone staring

• miin miin

- cicada

• noronoro aruku

- to dawdle,

• yotayota aruku

- to waddle

• tobotobo aruku

- to trudge

• yochiyochi aruku

- to toddle
- expressing different ways to walk

• bachabacha

• bochabocha

- both water-splashing sounds but bochabocha indicates that the water is deeper than bachabacha.




スースーする - susu suru
- a cool soothing feeling, like from applying a medication cream.

Just a little correction:
1: iroiro(色々 the second character marks repetition) isn't onomatopoeia it's just an adverb created by the repeating of the word iro(色) meaning color so you can translate it as colorful, various. My native language is Hungarian and we have a similar word "sokszínű" it literally means the same.
2: motomoto(元々,本々) is the same both character means source
I saw similar patterns in Chinese.